In the 1980s Archives & Special Collections (UConn Archives) of the University of Connecticut Library (https://lib.uconn.edu/location/asc/) was designated as the official repository for the records of the New Haven Railroad and received the records - consisting mostly of administrative, legal, financial and real estate documents - from the former Penn Central. The records also include board of directors and stockholders records from 150 predecessor railroad lines, including street railways, that were owned by or merged into the NHRR at the time the railroad company was formed or through other mergers and leases into the 20th century. The collection is strongest for the era between the 1930s through the 1960s.

After the donation of the corporate records the Archives amassed over 100 additional collections of railroad photographers, scholars and collectors that provide evidence of the history of the New Haven Railroad and its predecessor railroad lines. The collection includes an almost complete collection of right-of-way track maps of the NHRR system, which had been donated by the NHRHTA, and other maps and railroad station drawings of properties and land owned by the railroad. Other materials include timetables, annual reports, and research files, as well as many thousands of photographs of locomotives, railroad stations, crossings, equipment and personnel.

Information about the collections can be found through a searchable database at https://archivessearch.lib.uconn.edu/. Please note that this database includes information about all of the collections in Archives & Special Collections, not just those that are related to railroad history.

The UConn Archives also provides access to many scanned documents from its collections, including the Railroad History Archives, in its digital repository at https://archives.lib.uconn.edu/.

Requests for copies of photographs and other documents from the collections, including those in the digital repository, can be made through this form: https://lib.uconn.edu/location/asc/archives-special-collections-reproduction-request-form/

The majority of the collections are accessible only by visitng the reading room, which is located at the Dodd Center for Human Rights on the University of Connecticut campus in Storrs. For more information about making a visit to the Archives, and to consult with an archivist about your research topic, please visit the UConn Archives website at https://lib.uconn.edu/location/asc/. If you plan to visit the Archives, you must book an appointment at https://uconncalendar.lib.uconn.edu/r/new/availability?lid=13954&zone=5622&grid=28859&capacity=-1 . The UConn Archives does not acept “drop-in” researchers.

Researchers might also be interested in searching the Connecticut Digital Archive, at https://ctdigitalarchive.org/, which provides access to digitized collections from many cultural heritage institutions in Connecticut. Another valuable research database is the Digital Public Library of America, at https://dp.la/ .

The UConn Archives gratefully accepts donations of collections related to New Haven Railroad history and will be happy to talk about your collection and our donation policies. The Archives does not accept materials that arrive without speaking to staff beforehand.

Researchers and potential donors can contact the archives at:

archives@uconn.edu

Archives & Special Collections at the Dodd Center for Human Rights
University of Connecticut Library
405 Babbidge Road, Unit 1205
Storrs, CT  06269-1205

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